Beautiful woman

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Beautiful woman

By - Harsha V Dehejia

Updated: Jan 9, 2012, 00:00 IST

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Beautiful woman

Surasundari, symbolising enchanting beauty, emerged from the churning of the cosmic ocean, writes Harsha V Deheja Rambha or Surasundari, also called Apsara, Devangana or Madanika or the beautiful woman, is one of the ratnas or precious gem that emerged from the samudra manthan or the churning of the cosmic ocean. Indic tradition has enshrined the beautiful in the woman more than in any other object. In body and mind, through adornment and anticipation, in longing and belonging, on temple walls and in opulent havelis, the Surasundari embodies and represents what we consider beautiful. In her, we not only have the poetry and the sensuality of the beautiful, but even more, the serenity and spirituality of ultimate beauty.

Many forms of Surasundari

The Surasundari is first and foremost prakriti or materiality, endowed with sensual beauty and like prakriti, she is also the abode of growth and fertility which she shares with the world of nature around her. The beautiful woman is also saubhagya. Hence, by representing her on temples and havelis, she is seen to perform an apotropic function, conferring grace and auspiciousness all around. A variation of the Surasundari is the Salabhanjika, or tree nymph, and in this role she makes the Ashoka tree blossom with the kick of her left foot.

Sensuous women are an integral part of temple architecture and the railings of stupas.There are a number of forms that the Surasundari can take. Thus we have Darpani holding a mirror, Torana leaning on the door, Dalamalika touching a branch, Padmagandha smelling a lotus, Ketakibharana wearing a ketaki flower, Matrika like a mother, Chamari holding a fly whisk, Nartaki or dancer, Shukasarika playing with a parrot, Nupurapadika tying ankle bells, Mardala or drummer, Alasyakanya or the indolent one and Shubhagamini removing a thorn besides many more.

As early as the 2nd century BCE, sensuous female figures in the form of yakshis, salabhanjikas and vegetation spirits were depicted on Buddhist and Jain monuments at Bharhut, Sanchi, Bodh Gaya, Mathura and elsewhere.

However, it was from about 800 CE, when the temple developed architecturally with projections and recesses in its wall, that celestial beauties, surasundaris and apsaras, appeared in its art.The concept of shubha, or auspiciousness, underlines these beautiful figures of art, as shuba and saundarya in Indic tradition are equated with one another.

Sensuality is repeatedly affirmed and not negated and in the form of the surasundari, it forms the foundation of the beautiful. Apart from their auspicious role, surasundaris could be subsidiary shaktis of the great goddess, extraordinarily beautiful, whom they assist in the cosmic creation and dissolution of the universe.

The 9th century text Shilpaprakasha enjoins the depiction of beautiful women on temples with the words: “As a house without a wife, as frolic without a woman, so without the

surasundari, the monument will be inferior and bear no fruit.”

Foundation of expression

The 15th century text, Kshiarnava, which gives an elaborate taxonomy of 32 surasundaris, emphasises that the surasundari should be adhodrishti or looking down and not looking at anyone. This distinguishes her from nayikas of miniature paintings who look directly at us. Thus the woman is central to much of Indian art and thought and is the foundation of our ideas and expressions of what we consider beautiful

harshadehejia@hotmail.com

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